Waste from textile mills could power batteries

An article on The Verge, a technology news and media network operated by Vox Media, interviews Anjula Kosswattaarachchi, a PhD candidate in chemistry who used to work with textiles at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology, about methylene blue, a dye that looks good but can be harmful when it leaches into wastewater from textile mills, and its potential to be used to power liquid batteries. “We use it because it’s so good at producing a particular color. It’s one of the most commonly used dyes. It can even be used as medicine when it’s at the perfect dose. But it’s hard to get that perfect dose, and when it’s not, it can be poisonous,” she said.